BORUSSIA DORTMUND MANAGER Jurgen Klopp has admitted his team’s awful start to the domestic season has left them with ‘a fear of losing’.

They suffered a 1-0 home defeat against Hannover on Saturday – a sixth defeat from their nine league games so far this season and their fourth in a row.

Klopp’s side are fourth-from-bottom of the table and the charismatic coach could do with a timely tonic when they travel to Bundesliga 2 side St Pauli for a second-round Cup tie later tonight.

The 47-year-old called on his players to respond to their latest setback as they attempt to progress.

The fear of not winning is certainly there. Sometimes we lack the necessary rest to perform. But we have to work. The preparation has been normal despite the critical situation that we’ve found ourselves in. We know the nature of this competition, that we’re out if we lose. A couple of the players are over-worked, but there are no new injuries.”

Dortmund’s struggle is especially baffling considering how impressive they’ve been in this season’s Champions League.

They brushed past Arsenal in their opening group game, knocked three goals past Anderlecht in their next outing and scored four against Galatasaray last week.

Following tonight’s Cup clash, Dortmund will prepare for a hugely-anticipated clash with Bayern Munich on Saturday.

Additional reporting by Eoin O’Callaghan

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